TWW, Francis Schaeffer, Calvinism, and Spouse Abuse

That Francis Schaeffer allegedly abused his wife (Edith Schaeffer), and had sexual issues, is not news to me. Their son, Frank Schaeffer, has written and spoken considerably regarding the baggage he inherited from his parents. The cynic in me says that Frank is telling the truth.

Dee, at The Wartburg Watch, opines here, attempting–as expected–to pin this on Schaeffer’s Calvinism. I disagree: I’ve seen this dynamic in very Arminian circles, including Pentecostal/charismatic ranks. There is no small number of abusers–even sex addicts–in the ranks of the clergy, and even the top-flight theologians and writers are not without fault.

I do, however, agree with those who assess that Edith was of a different era where such dirty laundry stayed “in-house”. I’m not defending or excoriating Edith; at the end of the day, Francis’s sins are his sins and he’s the one who ultimately must answer for them. Was Edith doing the right thing by not going public? Maybe, maybe not.

At the same time, Frank’s tell-alls are instructive. We cannot, under any circumstances, pedestal anyone. Everyone, and I do mean everyone, has a dark side. For some, it could be greed or envy; for others it could be alcohol or other substances, or food, or anger issues, or various sexual fetishes, or some combination of all the above.

Sadly, in some cultures, spouse abuse is an accepted norm. I’m not defending it; just saying that it is what it is. In Middle Eastern cultures, and even some Eastern cultures, wife-beating is a very common occurrence. Yes, even among Christians. There is no defending the practice, but we need to disabuse ourselves of the illusion that this is a new phenomenon. It’s not. If it were, Paul would not have had to admonish husbands about it in his letter to the Ephesians.

Here in the States, people are predisposed toward staying out of other people’s business. We generally don’t want to know what goes on under someone else’s roof. It’s the American way.

If John is getting rough with his wife, we–as a society–tend to think in terms of, “if she thinks it’s serious, she’ll do something about it.” Police tend to loathe “domestic disturbance” calls, as those are extremely volatile: she is every bit as likely to side with her husband and not press charges, and, if he goes off the rails, people can die in a hurry.

And sex addiction? Don’t even get me started. Pornography–from the conventional, visual porn that ensnares men like no one’s business to the Fifty Shades paradigm that has MILLIONS of women fawning over a fictional sado-masochostic billionaire–has a lot more foothold in the Church than anyone wants to admit. If you think Mr. Schaeffer was alone here, then I want whatever you’re smoking.

Again, I’m not excusing Francis Schaeffer–there is no defending him on this–but rather just using this as a teachable moment for everyone else.

And if you have a top-flight theologian who has a fixation–combined with needy and attractive women showing up at his residence on a regular basis–well, we need to honest: stimulus + opportunity + inclination of heart = disaster every time. And by the time you hear about it, most of the time you’re only seeing the tip of the iceberg.

This also begs another important question: at what point do a person’s sins disqualify his (or her) message?

And no, I’m not talking about fitness for a particular office: by no reasonable account would Schaeffer have been Biblically-qualified to be a deacon or overseer at a church. That’s not on the table here.

The larger issue is that, as a theologian, Schaeffer wrote a number of books that are just short of holy writ in most conservative/evangelical circles, Calvinist and non-Calvinist alike.

Do Schaeffer’s sins discredit his writings?

To that I say not necessarily.

On marital relations, I would take Schaeffer’s writings with a grain of salt. Given that he failed to flesh that out in his own household, I’d say he’s seeing through that glass way too darkly. I would want to hear from a theologian who has had a strong marriage–who loved his wife well.

On other issues issues, such as the decline of society, I’d say Schaeffer’s insights are spot-on. When he writes about the Church’s embracing of liberalism over the last 150 years, he’s also on the money.

I do not consider Schaeffer a “great” theologian. In fact, I would contend that the last 200 years have not produced many “great” theologians. Even the popular contemporary theologians–Packer, Sproul, Grudem–are not really “great”. They are good at communicating the truths of other great theologians, but they are not iconoclastic, ground-breaking theologians.

Of course, that is not to say that the great theologians were without their own weaknesses. Luther was known for his own temper, and had an anti-semitic streak. Calvin had a man burned at the stake. And who can forget Augustine? (“Dear Lord, give me chastity, but not yet!”).

The annals of history–both within Scripture and since the closing of the Canon–have been a testament to the depravity of Man. That some of the popular writers, theologians, and preachers of the last two millennia have had their baggage laid out in the open should surprise no one with even a rudimentary understanding of Scripture.

However, given the recent resignation of R.C. Sproul, Jr. from Ligonier Ministries, following a felony DUI arrest in addition to his outing last year in the Ashley Madison hack, Schaeffer’s baggage should cause Christians to seriously revisit the celebrity culture.

4 thoughts on “TWW, Francis Schaeffer, Calvinism, and Spouse Abuse

  1. I agree with everything you said here, Amir, but I would point out that Frank Schaeffer is not exactly unbiased. In fact, I have heard people who knew the Schaeffers and went to L’Abri say that Frank is simply making this stuff up to slander his father due to his hatred of everything he stood for. I think the best thing to do is to not pass judgment until we get some hard evidence one way or the other. Would it matter much? No, and I think Frank Schaeffer would do better to deal with what his father’s arguments actually were rather than talk smack about his personal life. Still, it is important to not pass judgment until you have all of the facts, and while it might be true, I quite honestly don’t trust Frank Schaeffer due to his bigotry toward his father’s beliefs.

    • I’m aware of his bias. But here’s the problem: that he hates what his father stood for does not explain why he would make up such outrageous tales about his childhood experiences.

      It’s one thing to reject the teachings of one’s parents; it’s another thing to go off the rails and not only reject their outlook but to publicly slander them.

      I would also contend that he benefits less by doing the latter.

      That others who knew the Schaeffers and even had gone to L’Abri would have a different take is also understandable: it’s not like the Schaeffers would have revealed their dark side to outsiders.

      While it is possible that the Schaeffers could have done everything right and Frankie still goes off the rails, I would also contend that there is a logical reason why Frankie has gone so far off the rails that he would air his father’s dirty laundry.

  2. Scripture with the admonitions for husbands to love their wives as their own bodies put out of any possibility violent coercion when dealing with a contentious wife. Except in self-defense from physical violence or actual attempted murder. This is not to say however that a man is to be doormat in respect to such problems.

    Other alternatives like the ones enpoused by Jesus and Paul in order to deal with marital problems should be pursued.

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